Rock Face
by DuHSPaZZiNGFeL
Summary: Even though tragedy occurred on October Tenth, nine years ago, Naruto at least had his parents, and his parents had this aura about them that always made him smile even when the child stared at his dad's face carved on the cliff side. AU. Oneshot.


**Description:**** Even though tragedy occurred on October Tenth, nine years ago, Naruto at least had his parents, and his parents had this aura about them that always made him smile even when the child stared at his dad's face carved on the cliff side. AU. Oneshot.**

**Genre:**** Family/Hurt/Comfort**

**Pairings?:**** Minakushi**

**Characters:**** Naruto, Minato, and Kushina**

**Reasoning:**** This oneshot came from a quote said by Naruto in Road to Ninja that went something like, "And then he (Minato) became a rock face. Sometimes I think it would be better to have a dad that could welcome me home instead of a face on a mountain that can't say anything at all." **

**It is also for personal reasons with regards to Naruto's parents. I am so fascinated by them because I believe with all my heart that they would have been a beautiful family and that Minato and Kushina would do anything to make Naruto understand that they trust him, that they believe in him, and that they support him; something that I wish could happen with me and my parents.**

**Also, an extra note: this oneshot is loosely based on characters I made up for my other story, **_**Upside-Down Hourglass**_**. However, you do not have to read it to understand the plot here. **

_**Happy October 10**__**th**__**, Naruto, and Happy Birthday!**_

**Disclaimer:**** I do NOT own Naruto. Otherwise, I would not be writing fanfiction.**

**Rock Face**

**Will the Circle be Unbroken?  
**_"You can picture happy gath'rings  
Round the fireside long ago,  
And you think of tearful partings  
When they left you here below…"_

_- Ada R. Habershon_

Naruto Namikaze was an excitable kid, especially when it came to ramen. Minutes before the start of school was no exception to that rule. He justified it by saying that he was a growing kid and that even though his mother had graciously and generously fed him a hearty breakfast, he was never quite full afterwards, not that the ramen chef minded.

After all, Naruto would grin at anyone and say that Teuchi had the best ramen in the world…well perhaps he had a mediocre miso ramen recipe compared to his mom. Every other ramen dish he made was beyond exceptional in the boy's _humble _opinion.

The little blond heard a chuckle above him as he arrived at the final dregs of the soup. "Shouldn't you get going, kiddo?" the voice said amusedly. He knew who it was right away.

His head shot up excitedly, slurping a noodle with practiced ease in between his lips. "Jiraiya-jiji!" he grinned widely.

The man in question was tall and fairly passed middle aged. He had waist length and spiky white hair which was messily pulled back by a horned forehead protector with the kanji for 'oil' engraved upon it. His eyes were dark, yet kind, and had red stripes of paint running down from the corners of them to the sides of his chin. He wore a green _gi _over a visible form of mesh armor and on top of both was a red open vest. On his feet was a matching pair of wooden _geta _that he trekked on with admittedly practiced ease.

"Yeah, yeah, brat," Jiraiya said while shaking his head. "It's me alright. Now get going. You have ten minutes before class starts at the Academy. I don't think your old man would be too happy if you were late, _especially _not that crazy woman you call your mother."

Naruto shoved his bowl to the side then promptly went to cross his arms. "_She's _not crazy," he pouted with his bottom lip jutting out, "_You're _crazy."

"HAH! I beg to differ," the adult shot back.

Seconds later, Naruto was being carried by his shirt scruff, all whiny and squirming to the front gates of the Shinobi Academy of Konoha. His dark orange backpack was dangling in the opposite hand of Jiraiya who had a very smug look on his face. Both males were definitely oblivious to the exasperated sighs that came from the hidden ANBU agents that were watching the situation.

After a good laugh, the boy was dropped off, quite literally, at the front of his classroom door. Luckily it was shut so that none of his classmates would be able to see his previous predicament, but that did not stop his best friend, Sasuke, from spotting them because he was just about to enter when the duo arrived. The young Uchiha was already covering his face and attempting to muffle snickers.

With a flourish and a subsequent _pop, _Jiraiya vanished from existence and informed the friends in a very important tone that he had "extremely vital research to attend to." Of course anyone who knew the guy intimately enough was aware of what that actually meant.

Sasuke slid the door open with smirk and their teacher, Iruka-sensei gave them a questioning look. The white-haired chuunin that went by the name of Mizuki, was the teacher of a class next door and he was handing Iruka a stack of papers at the forefront of the classroom.

Naruto and Sasuke walked in together and took their usual seats in the auditorium-like room towards the middle and sat nearest to each other. But as the two passed the front, the blonde could not help but feel the cold eyes of one the teachers following him. Even though the boy was fully aware of how a handful of the villagers felt about him and why, he always felt that scared, lingering feeling at the back of his mind.

He never liked Mizuki anyway.

"Let's begin class today," Iruka stated with authority and suddenly the frosty feeling departed from the room and warmth began to seep in. It was not as if anyone else besides Sasuke noticed. "We'll start with Tactics today," went on the brunette chuunin instructor, "Can anyone tell me an ideal situation in which it is best to trap an enemy and incapacitate them rather than rid of them?"

Hands shot into the air and class began as normal. Naruto resigned himself to another day at school, another day where he would have to deal with Mizuki-sensei, even if it was his birthday…

Shikamaru was snoring the background as usual as he dreamt of what one could assume was a mass of cumulous clouds because he kept uttering words like, "At least it's fluffy up here."

Sakura was frantically scribbling notes onto numerous pads of paper.

Chouji was being his ordinary self and munched on a snack consisting of potato chips, much to the chagrin of the girl sitting next to him and the whole group of students in general that took it upon themselves to keep glancing back in his direction each time they heard him bite down in a particularly obnoxious fashion, spraying crumbs and various bits of spit and saliva in a neat round.

And then a couple of hours later it was time for Weapons class, a class that many dreaded especially because it was the timeslot right before lunch. That, and that fact that the session had to be held outside for at least fifty minutes. It was Not Fun, and if the Namikaze was honest with himself, it was his least favorite class, but it was not for the reason most people thought.

Sasuke nodded his head at Naruto reassuringly, quite aware of his friend's nervousness and Naruto stepped up to the red X that marked where he was supposed to stand in front of the target. His fingers clenched and unclenched at his sides and he falteringly prepared his aiming stance in which he slid his right leg forward in a slightly bent position and he crouched, bringing his right arm in front of his face as he held his three shuriken.

The metal glinted in the sunlight and for all those who could see, the boy was in a perfect position. Then, Mizuki-sensei arrived just near to him with a ready clipboard, raising an eyebrow and cocking a pencil above a certain area on the paper attached.

Also as in a usual school day, Naruto always went first during Weapons. It was almost tradition.

He deftly shot all three shuriken in succession just as his father had taught him, and all of them hit the bull's-eye of a red and white circular target save for one that was slightly off center by a mere centimeter, not that it really mattered much. The class clapped and Iruka seemed impressed, for his performance was more skilled than a typical Academy student, and maybe even better than a few genin.

But, just as tradition dictated, Mizuki always found something wrong with his throwing skills.

Naruto bowed his head in defeat and Mizuki pointed viciously at the middle shuriken that missed by not even an inch. It was minuscule really. "Look at that one! How pitiful! Your classmates could do so much better than you! What would the Hokage say if he saw this mess?" The teacher spoke so loudly that it was on the brink of shouting.

Despite knowing that his father would praise him for being so accurate, especially for one of his age, he took the harsh criticism as he normally did and his azure eyes travelled to stare at the grassy ground. But that did not stop that lingering feeling of doubt in his gut.

"All of your classmates could do so much better than you!" Mizuki continued. Iruka finally silenced the man by giving him a disapproving glare and the chuunin added with a final growl, "Get it right next time, you _thing_."

At the word 'thing,' Naruto's head bowed even deeper and he turned on his feet to walk to the back of the line where he knew Sasuke would be. He heard an escalating argument between the two teachers, an argument that was beginning to occur more and more often and remorse settled within the confines of his stomach.

He really, _really, _really didn't like going to school.

The guilt only escalated when he saw, yet again, that he and Sasuke were the top two in Weapons. Even with what Mizuki had said to him, it only served as an ill-formed lie. Iruka constantly defended Naruto and reminded Mizuki of his place and how he had been a teacher at the Academy for far less time than he. The brunette instructor threatened to report him to the headmaster and even to the Hokage himself, but even with a threat like that, Naruto found himself begging Iruka during lunchtime not to go through with his warning just as he had begged previously.

And Iruka, despite himself, had sighed.

So lunch passed by and Naruto ate a cupful of instant ramen and Sasuke sat next to him with a bento full of jasmine rice, salt, and grilled tomatoes. Shikamaru had a home cooked meal consisting of sausages cut into the shape of octopi. The Nara did not seem to mind that Chouji was mooching off of him too.

Kiba passed by them with his puppy, Akamaru sitting atop his head and they sat together in a comfortable silence under the shade of one of the many oak trees at the edge of the playground until Chouji asked if they were going to the festival that evening.

"Yeah," replied Sasuke between calm mouthfuls. "The Uchiha are providing the Fire Lantern this year and the Police Force is patrolling like usual." He smiled and added, "One day, I'm going to be just like my brother and be in a patrol!"

That earned him a few laughs and grins and then Chouji reminded everyone that the food was going to be great at the Akimichi Barbeque that night. No one doubted that for a moment.

"I'm going too, ya know!" bellowed Naruto.

"Of course you are!" the Uchiha chewed to his near right. "It's great that the Fire Lantern Festival is on your birthday every year!"

Lunch continued on with talks about the festival. It was a longtime custom in Fire Country to hold the festivities in commemoration of the founding of their nation and nothing could detract from its excitement and absolutely unique beauty. According to tradition, the Fire Lantern Festival was to be held in the first week of October, but it was moved to the tenth in Konoha because of what happened almost a decade ago, and it gained more meaning to the people of the Leaf.

The day lagged on with lunch being the highlight of Naruto's day. When the dismissal bell rang throughout the afternoon air, Iruka nodded each student out. Mizuki reappeared with the rest of his own class charging out the doors and sent a cold glare in the boy's direction and unfortunately, it was not noticed by anyone save the boy himself.

Naruto and Sasuke parted ways, saying that they would see each other at the festival, and the Namikaze went to pass to the school gates. On his way, he noticed a woman with dark, curly brown hair just exiting the building and closing and subsequently locking an office door behind her.

The woman who was named Kotoko, was a former teammate of his father and also a specialist. She was kind to him and faced him tentatively, but she tended to avoid Naruto with a horribly sad and ashamed looking face.

She was also the genjutsu instructor at the Academy.

"See you, Kotoko-sensei!" Naruto waved at her, but he only received a cracked smile and she scurried off, determined not to meet his eyes.

The blonde furrowed his eyebrows and sighed deeply as he watched her retreating back. It was always that woman that he felt most horrible around. According to his father, before the _event _happened, she was always so lively and artistic. If he remembered correctly, she used to have a fiancé before…

Ryo Goto.

A good shinobi.

And Kotoko Yagi.

And…a fire?

Then he blinked at the tree leaves that rustled in the autumn atmosphere. The winds made it look like he was seeing the scenery through a wavy pane of glass, and he slapped the back part of his head as if he felt an odd tingling sensation. But just as soon as it came, the feeling disappeared and he chalked it up to the cooling weather.

"There you are!" he heard a familiar and musical voice. "We've been waiting here for you!"

The child shook out of his stupor and realized that both his parents were standing just outside the school grounds, beaming. He saw his beautiful mother in her favorite midnight blue yukata which was delicately woven with pink cherry blossom petal patterns until it conglomerated into a tree at the bottom of its skirt, and an even lighter blue obi tied around her waist. He assumed she was already dressed for the festival. Her hair was long and fiery red and was the prettiest hair he could ever imagine.

He then spotted his strong and proud father, clad in his white Hokage cloak that was trimmed in crimson flames and had the kanji for 'Fourth Hokage' stitched onto its back. He was blond-haired and blue-eyed just like him. Of course, Naruto had the added feature of the three whisker-like birthmarks of each of his cheeks. His mom thought it was adorable.

The kid sprinted up to them and suddenly all thoughts of Kotoko-sensei and Mizuki-sensei escaped him.

But even as he ran to them the wind blew again like it was preventing him for something, though it was such a trivial act compared to his desire to get to them, and then he practically slammed into his parents and was promptly wrapped into a tangled embrace filled with arms and laughter and he was heaving on his chest and his heart was pounding and suddenly everything was so much _better_.

"Come on, Naruto," he heard his mother chide, "Don't be as dramatic as Obito-chan. You see us every day!"

He felt a minor pang deep within himself.

"But," and he blinked up at his parents with a sheepish grin and he felt his spiky hair being pushed back, "You never pick me up at the same time. It's just you or just dad!"

His red-headed mother only grinned widely and shared a sidelong glance with his dad and let out a short burst of laughter. "Of course we should, especially today, ya know!"

Minato nodded in agreement and added in a lower tone, "Did you forget? It's your birthday!"

So with happiness and contentment radiating off of Naruto in spades, the family made their way through the streets as quickly as possible, avoiding people on ladders that were hanging lanterns in last minute preparations and food stands that were already grilling delicious squid on sticks. Drummers were out practicing for the Fire Lantern parade and the resounding _boom boom_ rumbled throughout the roads.

The small family was greeted by many joyful and sometimes morose members of the community. Minato, being the Hokage, gave them all proper acknowledgement, but in minutes they were back home and Naruto was exasperatedly outfitted with an orange boys' yukata with a blue obi, and fortunately for Minato, he was allowed to wear what he was already. His son only scowled at him and the father chuckled embarrassedly.

"Ready?" the Fourth tilted his head at his wife and son. When he received two affirmatives, he and Kushina each grasped a hold of one of Naruto's hands and were off and past the threshold of the Hokage Mansion. They swung Naruto as he giggled in delight and he kicked out excitedly. Parents and other families all around could not help but smile at the sight.

The evening was early and people were milling about, and for once in a single day of the year, the Hokage was not required to do any work. Instead he had joined his family and they were happy, as happy as Naruto could ever remember because this day was his_ birthday. _

Minato grinned and pointed to an empty spot on one of the sidewalks that just so happened to be near the middle of where the parade would take place, and just like everyone else for once, they lined up together and waited on the sidelines for everything to commence.

Dusk began to settle and the sky grew darker and darker. Naruto sat comfortably squished between his mom and dad and Kushina was playfully patting him on the head as she promised a scrumptious bowl of his favorite homemade miso ramen even after the huge meal they knew they would eat out in the festivities. He was a growing boy with a big appetite after all.

Then there was a rumbling and the floor shook with each step that was taken in the middle of the main street towards the Hokage Tower.

_Boom._

The drummers, a line of all men, came out first clad in traditional clothing and sleeveless vests with circle symbols on them. A sash held their clothes together and a white band was tied tightly around their foreheads similar to how they would normally wear their forehead protectors if they were shinobi and on duty.

_Boom._

A good portion of the Uchiha Clan appeared in dark-colored kimonos and yukatas with the typical Uchiha crest stamped somewhere on their clothing. The Main House came out in front with Fugaku, Mikoto, Itachi, and Sasuke leading them. Behind the crowd of the clan was a gigantic, round, approximately five meter high lantern made of thick paper and wires. It was unlit, but there were nine smaller lanterns placed neatly in a circle around the giant middle one and those were lit. They were rolled in on an elaborate float.

Behind the Fire Lantern were other floats of smaller size with intricate paper patterns and dimly lit lanterns bobbing up and down as people wheeled them. One was an enormous dragon of a multitude of colors, others were depictions of the first Hokage and the first Daimyo, and still others were stylized flowers with chrysanthemums littering the bases.

_Boom_.

The crowd gathered together behind the main parade and Naruto, like all his other birthdays, stared up in awe and wonder while he clasped the steady palms of his mom and dad.

Stationed people were handing out identical white lanterns. They were rectangular in shape but oddly deflated, but his father took one anyway and they continued on in the midst of the throng. They followed the parade to the end and when they finally reached the Tower, they stopped and formed a ring around the floats and the Fire Lantern.

_Boom_.

The drummers finally stopped beating and there was a hush, like a sudden silence in the air.

The Uchiha circled around the Fire Lantern they had provided and out of them came one young man with black hair just like the rest of the clan. His was short and spiked and he had a set of goggles strapped to his forehead but strangely enough it did not cover his dark eyes. A look of concentration swept across his face, he backed up in what looked like a running position, the people parted to give him some space, and he jumped up a bit and sprang forward at a relatively fast pace.

Obito leapt into the air and Naruto was amazed as he tugged on his father's robes. The Uchiha did a flip and performed a set of hand signs until a spurt of a single flame erupted from his mouth, then it precisely shot into the hole on top of the Fire Lantern and lit the wick inside.

He landed on the opposite side of the float and the drummers played again. The Fire Festival had officially begun and would continue for the next three days.

Children brought out sparklers and the sparks lit up the air like tiny balls of starlight. People separated and then when there was enough space, each family held out their own deflated lantern.

"Alright, Naruto," Minato smiled toward his son and Naruto bounced on the balls of his feet. "You're going to light the Light Lantern this year, yeah?"

"Yeah, yeah," the boy replied joyfully and Kushina shook her head and ran a match on the matchbox, then carefully handed the match to her son.

"Remember to make a wish," the mother added.

He took her advice with a serious nod and then wrapped his fingers around the handle of the match. A small, flickering flame danced on the phosphorus head. Carefully, and with his dad's hands guiding him, he managed to light the wick beneath the paper.

They waited for a wind, and then a mass of lanterns was released into the sky. They floated serenely and bobbed up and down on the air currents. Some would gently tap each other, some would fly straight into the never ending abyss. They looked like stars that were closing in on the earth, but they were not threatening. They gave a feeling of hope, of comfort, and of warmth.

The Light Lanterns symbolized the lives lost in the Kyuubi Attack nine years previously, when the Sandaime Hokage sacrificed his life to seal away the beast into the only capable newborn: Naruto Namikaze. All saw the man as a hero, and most saw Naruto as another hero that night, though his parents most of all.

Kushina put an arm around one of her son's shoulders and Minato bent down and whispered, "Happy Birthday, son."

Naruto was suddenly so very grateful that his mother survived getting the Nine-Tails extracted from her by that evil man, Madara. He was so very glad that his father stayed around instead of sacrificing himself to the seal. And then, he knew what he would wish for: that they would always be happy together.

The now nine-year-old clasped his parents hands and they stood together, better than a team, better than a group of mere friends. They were a family and nothing else mattered because on that day, they were celebrating a very special birthday.

"Just have fun today," Minato said calmly to his son.

"Right," the mother went on, "And don't let people like that sensei of yours get to you, ya know." At that statement, Naruto's eyes widened in horror and his mom only laughed. "You think we don't know about what happened today? Iruka-sensei reports it all the time, but the only reason your dad hasn't done anything is because you've been begging for nothing to happen, ya know," and her fist clenched and a vein popped and she looked suddenly very annoyed, "If I ever see that man I swear I'll—"

Minato put his hands up in a placating gesture and Naruto looked at his feet. "Kushina, not here dear," he whispered rapidly, and the two glanced at each other and mother and father let out the loudest set of chortles in a displaced street, earning a few questioning looks.

They were interrupted by a grumbling noise and the Hokage and his wife laughed harder when they noticed that the sound came from their son who was rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"Hungry?" his mother smirked. "Let's go to the Akimichi Barbeque!"

In seconds Naruto was walking in between his parents again, this time with added merriment as they teased him about his overly loud stomach.

When they reached the outside, his parents stopped and Kushina tapped her chin and glanced at her husband, confusing Naruto. "Minato?" she asked and with a nod, his dad reached into his pocket and retrieved a rectangular package.

He handed it to his son and told him to open it. When the paper was ripped apart, a brown book revealed itself and in black inked letters was the title, _The Utterly Gutsy Shinobi_. The rest of the wrapping was peeled back with nimble and tender fingers.

"It's your favorite book," Minato remarked. "It's a brand new and signed copy."

For a few seconds there was no reaction, but Naruto then dove into his father's chest and Kushina laughed and they all started to giggle together as a unit.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"We knew you'd like it, ya know," his mother beamed.

Content bloomed in the pit of his stomach.

The little Namikaze blinked above his father's shoulder and up to the clearly visible Hokage Monument in the background. He stared at the faces of all the previous leaders of the village, silently thanking the Third, and then his gaze lingered for a moment on his father's stone visage. He smiled into the arms that held him close.

Even though tragedy occurred on October Tenth, nine years ago, Naruto at least had his parents, and his parents had this aura about them that always made him smile even when the child stared at his dad's face carved on the cliff side.

A blur briefly passed in his vision and he noticed, yet again, the guilty face of Kotoko before she vanished behind the corner of an edifice.

But still he held his mom and dad close and he was wished a happy birthday over and over again.

And the delicious aroma of the barbeque inside the restaurant wafted through his nostrils.

Chrysanthemums fell from the night sky.

"We love you, Naruto," both his parents said at the same time and they stood. His mother held out a delicate hand to him and he was going to grasp it. His fingers brushed on her skin and a tingling sensation came back full force. She kept smiling. He felt Minato's hand ruffling his hair. He felt the pages of the book as his other arm caressed the precious gift to his chest.

The wind blew again.

One by one, in tendrils of smoke, people disappeared.

And then, when it was just he and his family, they shimmered out of existence as well.

Chrysanthemums fell from the pitch black surface of nothing.

He was alone again, and then suddenly, light came in a burst…

Naruto Uzumaki was lying on a hospital bed, covered in those annoyingly white sheets with the annoyingly bright walls of the room surrounding him. Antiseptic filled his nostrils with that unpleasant smell. The bed creaked and his eyes were open. He sat up carefully and a gloved hand touched him on his chest.

In confusion, he saw the steady gaze of his teacher, Kakashi, who was sitting on a stool at his bedside.

"You were trapped in a genjutsu," the man spoke quietly. "How are you feeling?"

"…Huh?" Naruto groaned and his heart felt like it dropped ten thousand kilometers below the earth. Dread seeped into his system. Short gasps came out.

"We were on a B-ranked escort mission to the Land of Tea when we were suddenly attacked by a missing-nin who specialized in genjutsu techniques," Kakashi nonchalantly supplied.

Naruto blinked as an indiscernible emotion welled up within his gut and then horror like no other enveloped him, but he did not dare show it. His lips trembled slightly when he replied, blue eyes wide, "That was…an _illusion_?"

"Her name was Kotoko Yagi, a former Konoha ninja," the teacher continued unfazed. "She disappeared about sixteen years ago after the attack. You've been out for a day."

Naruto stared blankly into the sheets.

The silver-haired teacher studied his student for a moment and after the brief lull he knew he needed a confirmation. The man was almost terrified to ask but he had a strange feeling so…"Why? What did you see?" After a pause he added, "I'm just curious. You don't have to say anything."

The moment of silence that followed was by far the longest one either male had ever endured in their lifetimes.

"I…" and Naruto was looking down, a stricken look in his eye, "I was living the life…I was supposed to have."

Kakashi breathed out, suddenly very tired. With a deathly calm, he reached a gloved hand into his back kunai pouch and felt around for the specific item he was searching for until his fingers brushed against fabric and he pulled something out that was wrapped carefully and tediously. He had a horribly _right _feeling that something like this would happen.

Kotoko was Minato-sensei's former teammate after all.

"Here," the teacher exhaled, a resigned and abnormally sad expression showing through his single visible eye. "This," and he offered the item to Naruto who took it with curiosity and that still incurable emptiness, "rightfully belongs to you."

After glancing up once, the blond tentatively fingered the fabric the object was wrapped in, and then with a resolute face, he unraveled it. Seconds later, there was a quiet gasp and his fingers began trembling.

"Dad's kunai…" he whispered reverently.

"Yeah," Kakashi replied and his eye only seemed all the more sad. "Your father's kunai."

Naruto fingered the weapon almost lovingly and his eyes lingered over the writing on the yellowed handle. He clenched the item to his chest, just like he had clutched _The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi_. His eyes watered but the tears did not come.

"I just…" he murmured out loud and Kakashi was silent, "…I thought I had them…for a while."

"I know," was the response. There was nothing more to be said, and just like that, he got up and left, thoughtfully shutting the door behind him.

Naruto was left to finish recovering in the hospital for a bit longer. He said nothing and did virtually nothing. Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage, was growing more worried by the minute. All he did was hold the kunai by his side like it was a lifeline and stare out the window at the Hokage Monument.

Frustrated and very weary, Tsunade let him out of the hospital the next day and told Kakashi and Sakura of his depressed mood. The duo agreed wholeheartedly that he needed to go out and so they picked him up and decided on a trip to the Ichiraku Ramen stand where they knew was probably the best place for him to go to be uplifted.

But the entire time, Naruto could not stop staring at the Monument until, just steps away from the ramen stand, he said softly, "He became a rock face." His teammates looked at him warily. "Sometimes I wish to have a dad that could welcome me home instead of a face on a mountain that can't say anything at all."

Turning her pink head away as her expression shifted to one of hopelessness, Sakura replied and chose to ignore the statement, "Let's go inside." It was a gloomy and uncomfortable feeling.

The team walked in and sat together in a row. Teuchi and his daughter, Ayame, noticed them right away and got to work on their orders as soon as they were made. Slowly, Naruto was reminded over and over that _this _was the real thing, not the other way around, and he would just have to accept it. His reality was slowly coming together again, but it was difficult for him to live it.

He hoped he could. He did before.

Naruto timidly smiled into his mouthful of noodles, the broth dripping steadily from his chin like rain. "Your ramen is always the best, Old Man Teuchi."

The ramen chef puffed up his chest proudly while sticking out a very used ladle into the young blonde's face. "Of course it is! After all, I got that particular recipe from the most legendary ramen cook that Konoha has ever seen in all its years!"

The boy guffawed and then promptly laughed, his emotions finally getting the better of him and bursting forth in his typical eagerness, eliciting a snort for Sakura who was sitting beside him on one of the stools. He quickly swallowed his food and shook his head. "There's no way," he said with a grin, "You _are _the greatest ramen cook that Konoha has ever seen! Who the heck would be so good that _you _would get a miso ramen recipe from _them_?"

There was a brief silence, a few clinks from chopsticks that hit the porcelain edges of the bowls of food, and then—

"Kushina Uzumaki," came the nostalgic, almost calm reply. It was stated out loud and was probably meant to be heard in a normal albeit level tone, but instead it came out softly, just loud enough for a few occupants in the outdoor restaurant to hear, and the boy stiffened, suddenly preoccupied with staring at the ramen dish before him.

Even without a cruel genjutsu cast as revenge from a grief-stricken woman, his family, it seemed, never truly left him.

"Kushina Uzumaki," breathed Naruto, "huh?"

"…_One by one their seats were emptied.  
One by one they went away.  
Now the family is parted.  
Will it be complete one day?_

_Will the circle be unbroken_

_By and by, by and by?_

_Is a better home awaiting_

_In the sky, in the sky?"_

_**Fin.**_


End file.
